Yale University is a New Haven, Connecticut-based private Ivy League research university. It is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, and one of the most prominent in the world, having been founded in 1701 as the Collegiate School. The Collegiate School, one of nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution, was renamed Yale College in 1718 to honor Elihu Yale, the school's major private supporter throughout the first century of its existence. The Collegiate School, chartered by Connecticut Colony, was founded in 1701 by clergy to educate Congregational preachers before transferring to New Haven in 1716.

Students can immerse themselves in real-life legal experiences as early as their first year at Yale, thanks to the university's more than 20 legal clinics. Students represent real clients in a variety of situations, including domestic violence cases, eviction proceedings, and more. Students can put their legal knowledge to the test in workshops and on-campus facilities in addition to clinical practice. Students can join around 50 clubs outside of the classroom. In New Haven, Conn., students can reside in university-owned graduate student housing, however, most prefer to live elsewhere in the city.

Former President Bill Clinton and Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas are among the school's prominent alumni.

Year Founded: 1701
Contact: 203-432-4771
Website: https://www.yale.edu/

Stanford University's magnificent campus is around 30 miles from San Francisco in California's Bay Area. The Stanford Pre-Business Association and the Stanford Solar Car Project, which develops, manufactures, and races a solar car every two years, are just a few of the student organizations available at Stanford. The Stanford Cardinal are well-known for their yearly football rivalry with Cal, which culminates with the Stanford Axe – a prized trophy — being awarded to the victor. Stanford also has outstanding tennis and golf programs. Only freshmen are required to live on campus, although all students are guaranteed to house for the whole four years, and the majority opt to do so. At Stanford, Greek life accounts for about a quarter of the student body.

The Ram's Head Theatrical Society and the Mendicants, an all-male a cappella group, are two well-known theatrical and musical clubs at Stanford. Former US President Herbert Hoover, Hall of Fame NFL quarterback John Elway, actress Sigourney Weaver, and golfer Tiger Woods, who played collegiately at Stanford, are among the notable Stanford alumni.

Year Founded: 1885
Contact: 650-723-2300
Website: https://law.stanford.edu/

Harvard University has a total undergraduate enrollment of 5,222 students (fall 2020), is located in an urban setting, and covers 5,076 acres of land. The academic calendar is based on semesters. Harvard University is made up of 13 schools and institutes, and Law School is among them. The school is located outside of Boston in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Harvard is a private, non-profit university that was founded in 1636 by the General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in colonial America. According to the university's archives, the institution was founded to train members of the clergy. Harvard is named after John Harvard, a Puritan clergyman who gave half of his land and his 400-book collection to the new school in 1638. There were nine graduates at Harvard's first commencement ceremony in 1642.

Harvard's enormous library system comprises the oldest and largest private collections in the United States. Aside from academics, Harvard's athletic teams participate in the Ivy League, featuring a football matchup against Yale every year. Freshmen dwell in the middle of campus, while upperclassmen live in 12 undergraduate houses. On-campus residential accommodation is an important aspect of student life. Harvard has produced eight US presidents, including Franklin Delano Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy. Henry David Thoreau and Helen Keller are two other prominent alumni. Harvard also possesses the world's largest endowment of any university.

Year Founded: 1636
Contact: 617-495-1000
Website: https://www.harvard.edu/

Columbia University has a total undergraduate enrollment of 6,170 students (fall 2020), a city location, and a 36-acre campus. The total cost of tuition and fees is $63,530. Columbia University has three undergraduate schools, Columbia College, The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science, and the School of General Studies, as well as a number of graduate and professional schools, including the highly ranked Business School, Teachers College, Law School, and College of Physicians and Surgeons, all of which are located in New York City. There is also a well-recognized College of Dental Medicine and a graduate Journalism School at the university.

Columbia University's main campus is in the Morningside Heights district of Manhattan on the Upper West Side of New York City. The Columbia University Medical Center, which houses the medical, nursing, dentistry, and public health colleges, is located in the Washington Heights district in northern Manhattan.

Columbia's approximately 90% of students reside on campus. Barnard College for Women, Union Theological Seminary, and the Jewish Theological Seminary of America are all linked with Columbia. Former President Barack Obama and founding father and first Supreme Court Chief Justice John Jay are among the distinguished alumni. The Pulitzer Prizes are likewise administered by Columbia.

Year Founded: 1754
Contact: 212-854-1754
Website: https://www.columbia.edu/

University of Chicago's tuition and fees are $60,963. In Hyde Park, the University of Chicago offers a vibrant campus culture in a big-city setting. The university's postgraduate offerings include the highly ranked Booth School of Business, Law School, Pritzker School of Medicine, and Harris School of Public Policy Studies, in addition to the college. The University Athletic Association's Chicago Maroons boast 18 NCAA Division III teams, including strong basketball and wrestling programs.

Freshmen are forced to live on campus, and over half of upperclassmen choose to do so as well. On-campus students are assigned to "houses" inside their dorm that act as close-knit groups that offer academic and social support. There are around 450 student organizations on the campus. Students can pick from more than 50 majors and 40 minors, including history and environmental studies, and have studied abroad in Greece, China, and France. The university boasts 91 Nobel Laureates among its ranks.

The University of Chicago is noted for its excellent academic and enrichment offerings as well as its convenient location. Former President Barack Obama spent 12 years as a professor at the University of Chicago Law School.

Year Founded: 1890
Contact: 773-702-1234
Website: https://www.uchicago.edu/

New York University's main campus is in Manhattan's vibrant Greenwich Village district. NYU is a true city school, with no walls separating the campus from the streets of Manhattan. Although students are given lodging for all four years in one of Manhattan's numerous residential halls, many upperclassmen choose to live off-campus in apartments throughout the city. With over 30 fraternity and sorority chapters, NYU boasts a small but vibrant Greek life. There are over 300 student organizations on campus, as well as a student radio station that streams online and broadcasts to the university community on a local FM channel.

NYU is separated into several schools and colleges, with the College of Arts and Sciences being the largest. The famed Tisch School of the Arts, which offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in acting, dancing, dramatic writing, cinema, television, and more, is the place to go if you're interested in drama or film. Martin Scorsese and Spike Lee are also former Tisch students. The highly ranked Stern School of Business, Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, School of Law, School of Medicine, Silver School of Social Work, and Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service are among the other graduate programs available.

Year Founded: 1831
Contact: 212-998-1212
Website: https://www.nyu.edu/

Benjamin Franklin created the University of Pennsylvania, which is located in Philadelphia. The Ivy League's Penn Quakers compete in more than 25 NCAA Division I sports and are known for their outstanding basketball and lacrosse teams. Penn has over ten College Houses, however, many students live off-campus in the numerous apartments and houses available. Greek life, which includes approximately 50 fraternities and sororities, attracts more than a quarter of the student body. The school also has a variety of clubs and organizations, including performance groups like the Latin & Ballroom Dance Club and student periodicals like the Penn Political Review. Penn's community service and advocacy groups interact closely with the West Philadelphia community.

Penn has 12 schools, five of which offer both undergraduate and graduate programs, and seven of which only offer graduate programs. Penn's Wharton School, School of Education, School of Engineering and Applied Science, Law School, and School of Medicine are all highly-ranked graduate programs. Penn's School of Design and School of Dental Medicine are two more noteworthy graduate programs. Penn has a robust religious life, with Hillel for Jewish students, Penn Newman Catholic Center, and InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, despite being a secular university. Each year, over 2,500 students enroll in overseas study programs in more than 50 countries throughout the world. President Donald Trump, artist John Legend, and poet William Carlos Williams are also Penn grads.

Year Founded: 1740
Contact: 215-898-5000
Website: https://www.upenn.edu/

The University of Virginia is located in Charlottesville and was founded by Thomas Jefferson. Mr. Jefferson's University, or simply The University, is how insiders refer to it. Only first-year students are required to reside on campus, while many upperclassmen live in apartments or homes off-campus. At UVA, Greek life is very popular, with around 35% of the student body participating. The Cavaliers, sometimes known as the Wahoos or 'Hoos, are NCAA Division I Atlantic Coast Conference members who are recognized for their perennially dominant men's and women's lacrosse teams.

The highly ranked Darden Graduate School of Business, Curry School of Education, School of Engineering and Applied Science, School of Law, and School of Medicine are among UVA's graduate programs. The Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library at UVA has one of the 25 remaining original copies of the Declaration of Independence, known as a Dunlap Broadside. The campus is referred to as the "grounds," the center quad is referred to as the "lawn," and students are classified as first, second, third, or fourth year. Former the United States Senator Edward Kennedy, journalist Katie Couric, and former NFL player Tiki Barber are all UVA graduates. After squandering his tuition money to gambling, famous writer Edgar Allen Poe was forced to leave the school, but his dorm room on the lawn has been preserved and is open to the public.

Year Founded: 1819
Contact: 434-924-0311
Website: https://www.virginia.edu/

The University of California - Berkeley, or Cal, is located on the banks of the San Francisco Bay. In general, at Berkeley, 95 percent or more of incoming freshmen prefer to reside on campus. There are almost 1,000 student organizations on campus, ranging from political organizations to hang-gliding clubs and everything in between. With dozens of fraternity and sorority chapters, Berkeley boasts a vibrant Greek community. Berkeley's athletic teams, the California Golden Bears, compete in the Pac-12 Conference and are noted for their long-standing rivalry with Stanford University.

Berkeley includes 14 colleges and institutions, including several graduate and professional schools such as the School of Optometry and the Graduate School of Journalism. Graduate programs in the highly regarded Haas School of Business, Graduate School of Education, College of Engineering, and School of Law are also available.

Berkeley is well-known for being a hotbed of liberal student activism, with the Free Speech Movement — a 1964 student protest at Berkeley in response to the administration's prohibition on political activities – gaining national notice. Former US Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren, Olympic gold medalist Jonny Moseley, and actor John Cho, best known for his role in the "Harold and Kumar" movie, are among the notable graduates. Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer, who served as the scientific head of the Manhattan Project during World War II and worked on the development of the atomic bomb, was a professor at Berkeley.

Year Founded: 1868
Contact: 510-642-6000
Website: https://www.berkeley.edu/

Duke University is organized into ten schools and colleges, with many of them serving both undergraduate and graduate students. The Fuqua School of Business, Pratt School of Engineering, School of Law, School of Medicine, Sanford School of Public Policy, and School of Nursing are among its highly regarded graduate programs. Duke University's Divinity School and Nicholas School of the Environment both offer graduate programs. The Robertson Scholars Leadership Program, Duke's most prestigious undergraduate award, is available to students at both Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It grants a four-year scholarship to around 18 students from each class, as well as unique academic and extracurricular opportunities at both universities. Melinda Gates, co-founder of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, NBA player Carlos Boozer, and former United States Congressman and three-time presidential candidate Ron Paul are among the notable graduates.

Year Founded: 1838
Contact: 919-684-2724
Website: https://duke.edu/